Food Safety System Filled with Gaps and Overlaps
An estimated 76 million Americans get sick from foodborne illnesses every year, with at least 325,000 getting sick enough to end up in the hospital. The number of salmonella cases for one strain last year was one-third higher than a decade ago.
"It's so frustrating to know that nothing ever gets done," said Jeff Almer. Almer's mother died two years ago after getting salmonella poisoning from peanut butter.
"To find out that it was something that could have been prevented, you feel cheated, you feel angry," Almer said.
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The bewildering food safety system is filled with gaps and overlaps. CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian reports 15 federal agencies spend more than $2 billion annually to enforce at least 30 different laws. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) oversees meat and poultry. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees everything else.
"No one bears any responsibility when things go bad," Almer said.
At a local grocery store aisle, one can see how different agencies are in charge of different items. There's a can of beef broth, made in a plant. It's regulated by the USDA - which has daily inspections. Meanwhile, a can of chicken broth is regulated by the FDA and only inspects once every five years.
In the frozen food aisle, the cheese pizza is regulated by the FDA. The pepperoni pizza is regulated by the USDA.
Fish is regulated by the FDA, except for catfish - which is under the USDA.
The USDA seal on a carton of eggs doesn't mean they're safe - it just means they were checked for size and shape.
The result? Contaminated spinach from California, and contaminated peanuts from Georgia. Last month, eggs from Iowa sickened more than 1,600 people.
"Multiple agencies are just pointing fingers at each other, rather than providing consumer protection," said Caroline Smith Dewaal, of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Here's how that protection failed in Iowa. The FDA was supposed to inspect the hen houses -- but never did. Fifty feet away, the USDA inspected the packing facility every day- but was not allowed inside the hen house where investigators later discovered an 8-foot pile of manure outside.
The USDA refused to speak with CBS News on camera. But in a statement said, "this incident exemplifies the critical need to make significant improvements in the food safety system."
A bill to overhaul the entire food safety system has been held up by partisan bickering in the Senate for over a year.
"People's lives hang in the balance on this bill," Almer said.
Questions about the safety of what we eat only grow.
Copyright 2010 CBS. All rights reserved. "It's so frustrating to know that nothing ever gets done," said Jeff Almer. Almer's mother died two years ago after getting salmonella poisoning from peanut butter.
"To find out that it was something that could have been prevented, you feel cheated, you feel angry," Almer said.
Scroll down to watch the video
The bewildering food safety system is filled with gaps and overlaps. CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian reports 15 federal agencies spend more than $2 billion annually to enforce at least 30 different laws. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) oversees meat and poultry. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees everything else.
"No one bears any responsibility when things go bad," Almer said.
At a local grocery store aisle, one can see how different agencies are in charge of different items. There's a can of beef broth, made in a plant. It's regulated by the USDA - which has daily inspections. Meanwhile, a can of chicken broth is regulated by the FDA and only inspects once every five years.
In the frozen food aisle, the cheese pizza is regulated by the FDA. The pepperoni pizza is regulated by the USDA.
Fish is regulated by the FDA, except for catfish - which is under the USDA.
The USDA seal on a carton of eggs doesn't mean they're safe - it just means they were checked for size and shape.
The result? Contaminated spinach from California, and contaminated peanuts from Georgia. Last month, eggs from Iowa sickened more than 1,600 people.
"Multiple agencies are just pointing fingers at each other, rather than providing consumer protection," said Caroline Smith Dewaal, of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Here's how that protection failed in Iowa. The FDA was supposed to inspect the hen houses -- but never did. Fifty feet away, the USDA inspected the packing facility every day- but was not allowed inside the hen house where investigators later discovered an 8-foot pile of manure outside.
The USDA refused to speak with CBS News on camera. But in a statement said, "this incident exemplifies the critical need to make significant improvements in the food safety system."
A bill to overhaul the entire food safety system has been held up by partisan bickering in the Senate for over a year.
"People's lives hang in the balance on this bill," Almer said.
Questions about the safety of what we eat only grow.
And from the failure of both departments to inspect, regulate, and ensure the safety of the food system, I can only conclude, that there's a clandestine intent to actually HARM the public!
WHICH, they ARE succeeding at!